Top-of-the-line washing, as far as I'm concerned, is waterless washing. Get the methanol evaporated out of the biodiesel (heat and airflow) and the soap will not be able to stay in the solution. Run it through filters down to 1um, in my case (10x lower than my factory truck filter) and run it.

Biotom. I am new to AE. still building my stand alone processor. I am having difficulty getting my head around your use of a PH meter when doing AE. I read the first few pages of this thread several times but I don't get the correlation between PH and titration. How dose one measure the ph if there is so little or no water in the sample?? Could you help me out here or anybody else??

there is no correlation between ph and the titration number, other than we need a ph of 8.5 for transesterfication and I find that if the ph of the titration sample prior to ae is 1 or less the reaction works best. As you can see in the first few pages of this post adding mls of caustic to the titration sample does not change the ph meter reading until the fatty acids are neutralized then the readings go up with each addition of caustic.It takes a bit longer for titration if you use a ph meter as it takes a few minutes to maximize the reading after each addition of caustic solution.Once you mix the oil into the alcohol for the titration sample the ph can be measured. Another great use for a ph meter is determining when to stop the wash cycles. Once the water stops picking up soap the ph of the starting water and drained water will be the same.

Hi all. I have finally finished my AE Processor. I tried to incorporate all the learning and experience from the 73 pages here. However now for the acid test. Hopefully in a couple of weeks. will keep you all posted. I will also attach some photos as soon as I find out how.

Hi Dave nice to see you still do a bit............. Our common rail Toyota Land Cruiser with a D4D 3 ltr engine is still going strong on the B100 I make..... The valves on the Denso pump go faulty now and again but can be cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner.The experts tell me these valves go faulty on mineral diesel anyway and they don't blame the Bio which is unusual for the experts to say that. Apparently the Denso system is OK on the Bio but the Bosch pump I've heard blows up after a short time......

Thanks to you for all the hard ground work you did in the begining re the acid method,you were sure invaluable to hundreds of folks who listened.....

Don't get jealous ----------my oil is average 1.5 KOH nowdays. The bad ones I sacked.

Hey DK, good to hear from an "old timer" LOL, I'm still alive too, I've made about 1300 gallons so far this year, went through a whole tote of methanol and I have another one on the way.Still driving the 03 7.3L PSD, about 130,000 on bio with zero issues.Maybe we'll hear from some more old timers.

I'm still around. I moved my set-up out to pour a slab and change some things to make HTAE and thanks to my slowness it isn't done. I use diesel in my truck and run our SVO mercedes. Everything is just waiting on me. Nice to see both your posts.

Dave & Fab ---Both you chaps have really help such as me when all such similar newbies started and I'm sure as I do, feel a great deal of gratitude to you both...... Shhhhhh through---- in the UK we are only allowed to make and use 2500 LITRES of Bio per anum before the dreaded Vat man descends on us and holds his hand out with a view to it being crossed with a goodly amount of siver..... and another thing don't mention Kero for 'keeping the injectors right' hereabouts.One thing that improved with me is that I don't need to do the acid method any more because my used oil is about 1.5 to 2 KOH so I just do the 2 stage KOH process... I've learned a lot more as well re using it in Pressure jet burners. I have removed the preheat from the nozzle holder and fitted myself a Bio tiger loop and put the heater right after the TL and it works fine on 100 B.. Because I'm ancient I always thought the old two pipe was best but I was wrong -the Tiger loop device is good but that's is if like me the tank is below boiler level.Sincerely I don't know what I'd do without my bio. You know our diesel at the pumps is about £1.40/lt.So because of that ----I don't want to got there do I ?.To you to then keep well and Thankyou thankyou thankyou......... Kind Regards Mick

Hi Guys. I still haven't tried my AE processor. I have been busy fitting a 3liter Toyota engine in a Mazda bakkie (pick up)

I have just managed to get a great vacuum pump and a steel 250 air receiver and a 75liter air receiver. My question is this: If you were going to start from scratch how would now build a dewatering setup and methanol recovery system. Would you go for push pull? like Graham Lamming?

any schematics and or feedback would be appreciated before I start cutting and welding.

Hi Biotom Yes that's why I was so excited its now 6hrs later reaction seems to have stopped at T 3.1 Naoh. A definite smell of Bio diesel. You say T2.4 from the acid. I used by my calculation 1.1ml acid per litre and so I was expecting a T of 1.68. Have I got it wrong somewhere? I'll let it settle drain off any water re mix and re T in the morning. Anyway great result.

I used 290mm acid as I lost about 10ml in a faulty fitting. I put the Methanol in with the cold oil started stirrer. Which is built in and heated to 40Deg. with Gas, I then added the acid and the temp shot to 60Deg straight away. I think I put the acid in too fast as the oil started to froth or expand any way. The stirrer soon mixed the acid through. Strange though if I pushed the temp over 60Deg the oil would expand and want to overflow? Methanol boiling? or acid reaction. any way will post result tomorrow.

Thanks to all those who went before me as this result stands on those guys shoulders, including yourself.

Sam that's a good end point! 3.1 - 2.4 = a titration of.70. I calculated your end point based on the amount of acid you said you used in that batch size. 300/250 =1.2 ml acid/ltr of oil multiply that by 2 = 2.4 Your ending T of 3.1 - 2.4 = T.70